NEW YORK, August 8./TASS/. Scott Ritter, a former US Marine Corps intelligence officer and United Nations weapons inspector, whose home was earlier raided by the FBI, believes that this was done to get him to be silent.

"There is every reason to believe this has to do with my interactions with Russia and the Russian government. They’ve accused me of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act," he said. "You know it is very strange the way they operated," Ritter noted, explaining that normally anybody accused of this would receive a letter of inquiry and would be asked to provide answers. In his case, however, it was a "very aggressive" search.

"They are seeking to intimidate me to get me to be silent, to stop speaking out about Russia and Ukraine. It won’t work," Ritter stressed.

On August 7, the local NBC affiliate reported a search of Ritter's home. The FBI confirmed to TASS that its agents were conducting investigative measures at the home of the former US intelligence officer. Ritter had previously expressed the opinion that the searches were related to the US government's concerns about violating the US Foreign Agents Registration Act. As the Times Union explained, the law requires individuals and organizations representing foreign interests in the United States to register with the Department of Justice and disclose their activities. Ritter himself categorically denies any of the allegations, saying that the US authorities are trying to intimidate him.